What on Earth is a French 75?
by subtle tea
Summary: This story has been written for and inspired by krisnreine, whom I dared to write what became "Best Served Cold". Rosamund tries her hand at mixing a potent drink for Robert, Cora, and Violet. Set between S2E8 and the Christmas Special.
1. Cocktails at Downton?

The flood of activity that accompanied Lord and Lady Grantham's departure for their stay in London was made all the more exciting for Robert by the possibility of Dr. Lennox freeing him from the sling he'd been wearing for the past five weeks. He longed to be able to write a letter, hold a book, and eat without ending the meal resembling a toddler just learning to feed himself. With any luck, he would be able to wave goodbye to his parents with his right arm and spend his days in charge of Downton doing whatever he pleased just as he had before he'd had his run in with that ill-tempered horse in the village. As he looked out the window and watched the doctor's carriage approaching through the grey, cold, November morning, Robert could scarcely wait to have his independence restored.

He heard movement from the bed behind him and turned to see Cora sitting up watching him and looking ever so slightly crestfallen. He went to her and leaned down to kiss her on the head. "I'm about to be a free and able-bodied man, my dear, and it can't come soon enough." He stroked her cheek and smiled at her. "Cheer up, my angel, we'll soon have our lives back to normal." The only thing that kept her from crying was the fear of ruining Robert's good mood. She smiled weakly as he went on about all the things he had planned for himself that day. She tried but simply couldn't share all of his happiness. She was overjoyed that he was well again, but she'd gotten used to having him there with her during the day and they had grown so much closer because of it. She had been hoping they could try to build upon that. Instead, his delight over the return of his independence seemed to her to signal her return to solitude and it would be all the more painful now that she'd had a taste of the companionship and affection she'd been longing for since she'd arrived at Downton Abbey nearly seven and a half months before. He kissed her again and then went into his dressing room to await the doctor. Cora sighed as the door closed. She was missing him already.

Robert beamed as his valet helped him into his waistcoat. "Now I don't recommend any strenuous athletics and I would suggest not riding for a few more weeks, but I think it's safe to let you go without that sling a week ahead of schedule considering your lifestyle," the doctor chuckled at the young lord's excitement.

"Thank you, Doctor." Robert said. "Am I correct in assuming that all activities can be resumed with the exception of athletics and riding?" he asked trying to sound as if he were concerned with more than just his sex life.

Doctor Lennox laughed. "Yes, everything else is acceptable, provided you're mindful of that shoulder. I'll come back to check on you in a couple weeks." Robert walked the doctor to his waiting carriage and they talked about Robert's continued recovery before the doctor made a comment that took him completely by surprise. "I hope your wife takes your shortened convalescence in stride."

"Of course she will," Robert said as he bristled slightly at the doctor commenting on his personal life. "Why wouldn't she?"

Dr. Lennox passed his hand over his greying black mustache as he tried to choose his word carefully. Even though Robert still seemed to him to be that little boy who tailed after his father on morning walks trying to imitate the Lord's every move, he was now a grown man, a future earl, and should be spoken to in a manner befitting his station. "Forgive me, I feel I've spoken out of turn." He walked toward his carriage when Robert rushed after him.

"Please, Doctor, tell me what you meant." Robert asked. He figured the thoughts of a man married for nearly forty years might be helpful to him.

The doctor turned an smiled. "She's been by your side for five weeks almost without interruption. It would make sense that she may feel lonesome now that you will be off on your own again. None of the plans you mentioned on our way down the stairs involved her, as I recall. She could very well be be feeling a little left out." As Robert tried to formulate an answer of some kind, he felt someone watching him. He looked up at the rows of windows expecting to see his mother peering out of one of them, but instead he saw his wife staring out her bedroom window looking melancholy. She saw him watching her. He waved a little and she managed a slight smile. Robert said his goodbyes to the doctor and tried to forget Cora unhappy expression as he set off to enjoy a little freedom before his parents left. It was over almost as soon as it began, though, when his father came to join him, presumably with some last minute instructions and no doubt some silly insinuations about his upcoming week alone with Cora.

"I figured you'd be out here," Lord Richard said, "though it would've been nice to see Cora with you. You aren't going to forget about her now that you've recovered, are you? You'd better not after the way she took care of you. Such a sweet devoted girl."

Robert shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Papa, please," he said, "She's probably glad to be rid of me after five weeks. I doubt she wants to go wandering about with me on this cold morning when she could be curled up in her nice warm bed."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind going with you, if I were sure you wanted my company," a soft voice answered. Robert turned to find Cora looking absolutely stunning and holding a package for him. "Here. I had this sent up for you to celebrate your return to health." She blushed when his hand brushed over hers, caressing her, as he took his gift - a package of his favorite chocolate.

Robert smiled as he remembered how they'd finished the last package of chocolate she'd gotten him. He wondered if this was a far less innocent gift than it seemed. "Thank you, Cora. That was very kind," he said as he took her hand and pulled her closer. He looked into her eyes and his gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Her cheeks grew rosy. "I'd love to share them with you later," he said in a tone of voice that made a tingle run through Cora's body. Lord Richard gave a cough and to two remembered they were not yet alone. "Would you like to come on a walk with us? You don't have if you don't want to, but… "

Cora smiled. "I'd love to, Robert," she said. As the three walked, Robert managed to take Cora's hand in his. They strolled around the grounds talking for a while before Lord Richard abruptly took his leave of them.

The two looked around. Cora was smiling and Robert rolled his eyes. "Papa is incorrigible, old coot," he huffed.

"I think it's sweet," she said turning to face her husband.

"It's not exactly subtle, is it - " Robert asked, "bringing us to where I proposed and then disappearing as quickly as possible?"

Cora giggled. "Just like he did that afternoon," She said stepping away from Robert and looking around at their surroundings. Her eyes settled on the stone bench. "Ah, my nemesis," she said with a laugh.

Robert smiled. "It was that sharp rock and not the bench that was the problem," he said as took a seat on the old bench and thought about those few awkward moments that had changed their lives so profoundly.

_His father had gone walking with the young couple and then, suddenly, disappeared when they'd arrived at one of Robert's favorite spots. He had known that they were never truly alone, but this seemed like the most privacy they were ever going to get and Cora's trip was coming to a close, so he knew that, if he was going to ask her to marry him, he had to do it quickly. He'd taken her hand and led her to the bench where he'd suggested they sit for a minute. Neither of them had noticed the sharp, pointy stone that had somehow found it's way onto the bench. Robert had taken his usual seat and Cora sat down beside him and right on top of the jagged stone. She'd screamed and leapt up. Robert had jumped up as well to see what was wrong and the two of them had crashed into each other. Robert had landed back in his place on the bench and Cora came down on his lap. They'd both been embarrassed by the impropriety of their proximity, but when Cora had tried to get up, Robert had held her tightly. Having her so near had emboldened him and he'd told her that he though that her sitting on his knee could have been a better position for her to be in for the question he had for her. He'd taken a deep breath before he'd asked her to marry him. She'd said yes and then kissed him like he'd never been kissed before. He hadn't been sure - his mind was much more focused on Cora's kiss - but he'd thought he'd heard his father laughing happily somewhere in the distance._

Cora came over and sat on his lap. "Did you put that rock there on purpose?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"No,"Robert said, "I don't know how it got their." He smiled teasing and held her close. She shifted carefully and kissed his lips gently, but with a hint of the passion he'd been craving for for five agonizingly long weeks. "I would have, though, if I had known I'd end up with you on my lap kissing me senseless."

Cora smiled coyly. "Well, your asking me to be your wife did have something to do with it." She kissed his neck .

"Oh," Robert said with a soft groan. "What's your excuse now?" he asked as he squirmed.

Cora pulled back and looked at him in feigned shock. "Am I really kissing you senseless, Robert?" she asked sounding quite pleased with herself.

He sighed and tried to change position again. "After five weeks of living like a monk, I have a rather tenuous grasp on my senses when you're around me." She shifted around again and Robert swallowed hard. "Your wiggling isn't helping matters, either." he muttered. She moved her hips more deliberately against him and he yipped. "Cora, please! My self control is a little lacking at the moment," he pleaded.

"These past five weeks have been torture for me too, darling," she cooed in his ear before kissing his lips more insistently. As she kept kissing him, Cora began to feel something poking her in the bottom. "Oh!" she gasped and blushed deeply.

"I tried to warn you," Robert shrugged.

Just then they were discovered by the butler, Gregory. "Oh, good heavens! I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said playfully as he watched Cora leap up from Robert's lap looking very sheepish. The butler directed his attention to Robert. "My Lord, I've come to inform you that Lord and Lady Grantham will be leaving for London shortly." He gave a nod in Cora's direction and smiled. "Shall I tell them the two of you are on you way?"

"Yes, thank you," Robert said, but stayed seated. He wasn't quite able to stand yet. "Oh, Gregory, are you quite well?" The butler's complexion seemed somewhat sallow to Robert and he was noticeably winded even though it was not that far a walk from the house to the spot where they were.

"It's nothing a good sleep won't cure, My Lord." Gregory said as he straightened up.

"Maybe you should rest between my parent's departure and dinner." Robert suggested. "You've certainly earned it."

"Thank you," Gregory said as he turned and began to make his way back to the house. Robert and Cora followed soon after.


	2. Propriety, Insobriety, and Pressure

Cora eyes widened as she took a sip of the rather innocuous looking cocktail in her champagne flute. Its looks were obviously deceiving. She didn't drink all that much so its strength hit her hard. "It's good," she said. The others smiled as she coughed. "It's strong, but good."

"Cora does not drink much and has a more delicate palate. I think it is quite good." Robert said surprised.

"Very nice , indeed," Violet said sweetly before adding,"and, as a bonus, I'm still among the living."

As they sipped their drinks, the conversation flowed smoothly and laughter was in abundance. "Refills?" Rosamund offered when everyone's glasses were emptied.

"I'll have another." Robert said offering her his glass.

"I'll join you, Robert." Violet said.

"Cora?" Rosamund asked.

Cora wasn't too sure. It had been a much stronger drink than she was used to and she'd rather die than do something foolish and give her mother-in-law a story to hold over her for years, but at the same time she didn't want to leave the party. Staying seemed to mean drinking and she was sure one more couldn't do that much harm. The first one just caught her by surprise, but now she knew what to expect. She'd just sip it slowly an all would be well.

"Alright, one more," Cora said. Robert noticed the slightest hint of apprehension in her voice and it reminded him of when they were younger and his Cora was a nervous new bride. His mind wandered to thoughts of the activities they indulged in when they were young and were just discovering love. Cora noticed him staring at her. "What's the matter, darling?" she asked with concern. She reached for one of his hands. He usually rested them in his lap a certain way that she'd all but memorized over the years, but they were in a different position at that particular moment so her hand, instead of slipping comfortably into his in a gentle show of affection, had reached over and lightly brushed along his inner thigh in a manner that was usually kept confined to the bedroom. It took all of his social graces to keep him from jumping up out of his chair and yelping, but he managed the task somehow. She'd pulled her hand back almost instantly but his mind kept thinking about her soft touch and how much he'd love to feel more of it. In spite of that, Robert was able to manage catching his breath without drawing anyone's attention. He drained his glass in an attempt at putting out this growing fire within him that his wife's misplaced touch had accidentally ignited.

Cora, on the other hand, never failed to draw attention to herself. She jumped in her seat and looked at her husband in shock. Rosamund sat opposite the couple and wearing a big, Cheshire Cat-like grin. "Oh, don't worry Cora, he won't bite… unless you're into that sort of thing, I suppose." She laughed as she filled Robert's glass again and Cora felt an embarrassed blush burn her cheeks.

"Rosamund," Violet hissed, "don't be crude," She looked over at Robert and Cora and noticed a certain gleam in her son's eye. She hadn't seen it too recently, but before her move to the Dower House it had been the prelude to many a hasty goodnight as the then young couple retired to bed for the night in a hurry. She held up her fan to block her view of whatever impropriety her son and daughter-in-law might be engaged in as she took a long sip from her glass and before long she was requesting another drink as well.

Rosamund smiled, "I'll ring for more champagne."

When Carson entered the library, he noted how the atmosphere in the room had changed since this little gathering began. The laughter, even the Dowager Countess' laughter was louder than was customary in polite society and there was a casualness that rarely existed anywhere Lady Violet might be present. He also observed the distinctly rosy glow in Her Ladyship's cheeks as she sipped her drink. He had a feeling this would be an unusual evening. Upon returning downstairs, he went to find Mrs. Patmore and asked her to put a tray of crackers, cheeses, and fruit together. "Well, I'm not a magician - it'll take a minute - but first you'll have to go find Mrs. Hughes and get her to open the store cupboard seeing as I'm not allowed to manage it meself." Mrs. Patmore huffed as she and Daisy began bustling around the kitchen.

He found Mrs. Hughes in her sitting room reading. "Is there something I can do for you, Mr Carson?" she asked as she straightened up in her chair and set her book down on the table in front of her.

He explained about the impromptu cocktail party in the library as they walked together to the store cupboard and the wine cellar. "I thought they might appreciate a little food with their drink," he said.

Mrs. Hughes smiled knowingly. "It's going to be a long night, you reckon?"

"And possibly a rather strange morning tomorrow as well." he said with an amused smiled before he became serious once again. "You might wish to allow O'Brien to go up to bed for the evening and handle whatever Her Ladyship's needs may be yourself for tonight, Mrs. Hughes," he said in hushed and cautionary tones. "The events of their evening needn't be a topic for discussion around our breakfast table." Carson gave Mrs. Hughes a brief smile and then went off to check on the progress in the kitchen.

When he returned to the library with the bottle of champagne and the small tray of snacks, he found His Lordship, Lady Rosamund, and the Dowager Countess in a lively conversation about days gone by as Her Ladyship slowly finished her drink. As he turned to leave, Carson overheard everyone but Her Ladyship say they'd have another drink. He shook his head at the thought of cocktails at Downton.

"Oh, Cora, you're so flushed!" Rosamund said pointing out Cora's very pink cheeks.

"It's her American blood," Violet remarked. "It isn't as robust as the English variety."

"Don't pick on her, Mama." Robert said protectively. "I think she looks lovely." Now more than just the drinks were making Cora blush. Robert wouldn't say it out loud, but his wife's rosy complexion reminded him of the way she looked when they were wrapped up in each other and she was about to reach the height of their evening's pleasure. He wanted to see her like that again, coming completely undone in his arms, but he'd been afraid of hurting her since her bout with Spanish Flu and before that he had been too detached from her to meet his usual standard of bedroom performance. He wanted to see her the way he remembered her when he saw that blush. Maybe Rosamund was right and he did get amorous when he'd had a few drinks, but he couldn't get thoughts of making love and Cora out of his mind.

Violet saw the way Robert leered at Cora and raised an eyebrow at him, a gesture he ignored. She knew her son was busy mentally undressing his wife. Cora knew it as well because, though she was not looking at him, she could feel the intensity of his stare as it wandered over her body. "Is it getting warmer in here?" Violet asked Cora pulling out her fan again. Cora fidgeted at her mother-in-law's words and Violet's look made her dread hearing about this in the morning. She could only pray that the topic didn't come up when there were other people within earshot, but she knew that was unlikely to be the case with the Dowager Countess.

"What do you say, Cora?" Rosamund said playfully. "Are you going to have another with us and prove Mama wrong, or have you reached your limit for tonight?" She turned to Robert and grinned. "Or might it be my darling brother and not the cocktails that have you blushing?"

"Rosamund, enough of that! Would I behave in such a scandalous manner with my wife when you and Mama are sitting here with us? Sometimes I have absolutely no idea how your mind works." As Robert spoke to Rosamund, Cora felt him put his hand on her knee. She looked as him but he remained focused on Rosamund. "I've been a perfect gentleman the whole evening" he said. Meanwhile he had slowly and carefully begun to lift Cora's dress and petticoat up to her knee and did his best to keep her from noticing until the last couple inches when he dragged his hand up her leg pulling her skirts up as he went. He placed his hand back on her knee and watched her out of the corner of his eye to see how she'd react. Her eyes had widened and her lips had parted slightly, Robert felt his own body starting to react. "So please, stop with this silly and baseless innuendo." He let the tips of his fingers slip under the hem of her dress and brush lightly and teasingly across her leg as her pulse quickened. Cora inhaled deeply and shot him a look, but said nothing.

Rosamund went about mixing the three drinks that had already been requested and talked with her mother about the latest rumors in London. Robert was pleased that they'd stop paying attention to Cora and him for a moment. He turned to her and smiled innocently. "Well, Cora" he asked, "do you want any more?" One of his fingers stroked her knee in a way that almost felt questioning. She was at a loss. If she said no to the drink, she might end the party and she didn't want to do that when everyone was enjoying themselves so much. She had definitely had enough though, and if she stayed she didn't know what Robert might have in store for her. If she said yes to the drink, was she also saying yes to his clandestine groping? How far was he planning to take this teasing and how long could she keep from reacting noticeably enough to give them away? His finger traced patterns on her knee that were edging ever so slightly higher up her leg with each design and it was having an effect on her thinking. "Come on, I promise it will be fun." Robert said with a teasing smirk and desire in his eyes. His hand drifted between her knees for a moment and caressed them as he tried to gently nudge them apart. She closed her eyes for a moment and bit her lip.

Before she could talk herself out of it again, an answer slipped from her lips almost by accident. "Yes," she said softly.

"What was that?" Rosamund asked hopefully.

"She'll have another as well," Robert said.

"Oh good! Insobriety loves company!" Violet said with a laugh.

Robert smiled as he handed her glass to Rosamund who filled it and applauded Cora for rising to Violet's challenge. They clinked their glasses and the party rolled on.

As she was about to put her glass to her lips Cora felt Robert's hand trail slowly up her leg from her knee to the top of her thigh and her dress and petticoat bunch up in her lap.


	3. Unseen Shenanigans

What on Earth is a French 75?

Carson could hear the Dowager Countess' voice, which was raised in amusement, before he reached the library. "Then Nurse Schmidt comes out into the garden as he's running around like a wild child and calls 'Robert, mien Kleiner, you come into dee house und you take your bath like a good boy. No playing kuss-kuss vit dee ladies!" Well, right there in the middle of the garden, he threw off every stitch of clothing he had on and went running straight through Rosamund's party right up to little Melissa and and gave her as big a kiss as a two-year-old can and then raced back into the house yelling 'Kuss-kuss! Kuss-kuss!' with his nurse trailing behind him and all the little girls screaming and giggling. That was how he met Melissa Beaumont."

"It certainly added some excitement to my ninth birthday," Rosamund added. "I can still hear Nurse Schimdt running after you yelling 'Good boys don't run around vit no clothes on kissing dee girls!' as you darted from one hedge to another."

She and Violet laughed and Robert shook his head. "Was that really necessary, Mama? You couldn't have just said that Melissa Beaumont is the eldest daughter of Fredric and Cynthia Beaumont and was the object of a childhood infatuation of mine?" he said with a sigh.

"Oh, but you were so adorable with your little curls, and your chubby little legs, and your pudgy little bottom…" Violet said before she noticed Carson approaching. "Yes, Carson," Violet asked. The butler had never seen her smile so much.

"I was just checking if you needed anything, My Lady." he said.

Rosamund held up the three-quarters-empty champaign bottle. "Will we need any more?" she asked.

"No," the others said in near unison.

"Actually, Carson, I think this party will be breaking up before too very long," Robert said. "Lady Grantham looks about ready for bed." He added with a smile. Cora sat beside her husband. She was still rosy cheeked and she didn't seem comfortable. Carson assumed it was due to an overindulgence in drink and took his leave of the group.

Cora was blushing and on edge, but a night spent drinking was only a part of the problem. Robert was mostly to blame. Since they'd opened their second bottle of champaign, Robert had been feeling up her legs and trying to get his hand between them under the table. All the while he laughed and talked as if nothing were amiss as Cora struggled to keep up the appearance of propriety. She'd tried to keep her knees locked together, but every so often she'd shift in her chair or relax for a moment and then his hand would creep higher. She'd kept him at bay so far, but she didn't know how long that would last.

Rosamund was refilling everyone's glasses. As her intoxication level increased, so had the strength of the drinks. Cora would have said no to this one, but Robert had made sure to hand her glass to his sister first. Rosamund held out Cora's glass to her and Cora realized she'd have to stand to reach it. As she rose from her chair with her legs held tightly together, the room seemed to move around her and she unconsciously widened her stance simply to keep from falling over. As she sat back down with her drink, Robert leaned over to ask if she was feeling alright. She smiled at his concern and was about to tell him how sweet he was when he smiled slyly and quickly slipped his hand between her thighs. She couldn't suppress her gasp as his fingers pressed and stroked her in a place and a manner far too intimate for their current situation. "You've gotten me drunk, you rogue." she whispered to him with a scowl. It was all she could scold him for out loud in their present company, but he knew there was so much more she was annoyed about.

Robert smiled as he watched Cora attempt to maintain her poise while he kept playing with her. He wasn't in the most effective position for this particular activity, but as he watched her shift nervously and heard her soft "Oh," when one of his touches was particularly well paced, he knew his attentions were having an effect on her. He had to be on guard though, because they were effecting him as well.

"Are you alright, Cora?" Violet asked with concern.

Robert grinned and, rather than stopping until his wife had a chance to talk, continued surreptitious fondling her. Cora was shocked. She looked at her husband and her eyes pleaded for him to stop as her blush deepened. "Please," she whispered to him. He only smiled in return as his fingers pressed more firmly and their touch more arousing. She sighed and whimpered ever so softly.

Cora?" Violet said again.

It took her longer than usual to respond to Violet which earned her a raised eyebrow and a curious look. "Yes, I'm fine,"she finally said, "I just got a little dizzy. That's all." She smiled at her mother-in-law and her husband finally relented. He had to otherwise he'd never have been able to stand up to get his drink. As she felt his hand move from her thigh, Cora gave an all but unnoticeable sigh of relief.

"This party's gotten away from us a little, I feel," Rosamund said.

Violet gave her daughter a look. "That seems to happen when I leave you in charge."

Rosamund gave an indignant huff. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Mama."

Violet scoffed. "That bon voyage party you threw for Robert when your father and I were in London?" she inquired. "The one before he went off to America?"

Rosamund laughed. "Oh, that was an eventful evening!"

"The understatement of the century!" Violet exclaimed. "It's a wonder the house is still standing."

"I don't remember it being that big a to do." Robert said sipping his drink.

His sister smiled. "I'm surprised you remember it at all." Robert rolled his eyes and settled back to endure hearing another embarrassing story from his youth. He was about to reach over and see if he could continue to toy with Cora, when he felt her hand caress his thigh and his breath caught in his throat. "Cora," he said softly as he cast an untrusting glance in her direction. His wife just smiled sweetly at him. If he'd thought that he was just going to get a way with what he'd been doing to her all evening, then she was about to show him that he had been very much mistaken.

Soon she was beating him at his own game. Her hand dipped between his legs and teasingly brushed over the bulge in his trousers. He looked over at her. She seemed to be listening intently to Rosamund talk about the time she and her late husband held a large and raucous party for Robert while their parents were away in London. Meanwhile, her hand continued to taunt her husband as he did his best to keep up his usual aristocratic air with only limited success. He wriggled in his seat and his face reddened noticeably. She knew exactly where he was most sensitive and just how to touch him to get the reaction she wanted. Suddenly Robert's eyes widened as he yipped and jumped ever so slightly in his chair.

"Is something the matter, Robert?" Violet asked.

Cora removed her hand from his lap after one more gentle stroke. "Yes, darling, is something wrong?" she asked with a devious smile.

"No," Robert said trying to keep from sounding as flustered as he was. "It was just a touch of back pain." He gave Cora a look. If she was going to throw down the gauntlet, he was more than ready.

Rosamund smiled. "My little brother's getting old. " She stood. "You do have a point though Robert, maybe we should move to the sofas where we'll be more comfortable."

"Yes, I need to be sure I'm still ambulatory," Violet said rising slowly to her feet. "Well, so far so good," she remarked after her first few toddling steps.

As Cora stood and took a couple unsteady steps, Robert was busy planning a little payback for his wife. She had definitely won this round, but this was far from over. He went to her side to offer her some assistance getting to the sofa. He reached across her to take her hand and allow her to lean into him with her other hand if she needed to. He let his other hand support her from the back. Only his hand wasn't on her back. As Cora tried to keep her balance in the swirling room, she inhaled sharply as she felt Robert rub his hand over her bottom and give it a gentle pat. He would've loved to give her a good smack on that round derriere after what she'd done, but she'd been too shaky on her feet and he had been afraid she'd topple over. She glared at him and he smiled as he cupped her bottom firmly and then, when she lean forward a little in his arms, he gave her a pinch. "Ahh!" she cried and stumbled as she jumped. Robert caught her and she leaned against his chest while he helped her steady herself. His one hand held her securely and protectively while the other gently felt up her backside.

"What happened," Rosamund asked as she helped her mother to her usual place on her favorite sofa.

"It's fine," Robert assured them. "Cora lost her balance but I was here to catch her. She's in good hands." He smiled lovingly at his Cora as he playfully patted her bottom.


	4. The Last Cocktail

Robert and Cora sat together a little closer than was respectable. They weren't concerned, though. Even if Violet hadn't been completely engrossed in Rosamund's tale of drunken mayhem at Downton, Robert wasn't sure she'd be able to remember such a little detail in the morning. Carefully, he curled his arm around Cora's waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. His flirtations were on hold since there wasn't a table to give him the necessary cover, but that didn't mean that he was through with his fun. It was merely on hold. As his wife relaxed into him, Robert smiled as he took the last sip of his drink. He thought about how unsuspecting she was and how her surprise would make things even more enjoyable. He loved that, after all their years together, he could still take her by surprise with his romantic attentions - or antics. He wasn't quite sure which category his actions that evening were falling into. Cora giggled at Rosamund's story and Robert smiled. "Robert!" Cora looked up at him with a coquettish smile. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! I never knew you had this wild side."

"That's because you domesticated me, my dearest," he said. "I came back home a respectable, married man." Cora sighed. She wasn't sure she liked that answer. She wanted to excite him. For the past several years, she'd felt like she'd bored him. She tried to put it out of her mind as she finished her drink.

"Oh, the story gets better" Rosamund said to Cora. "Since Percy Hawthorne had lost the card game, he had to take up the dare and the dare was to ride down to the village and back naked. So, after _another_ glass of Papa's best bourbon, he hid behind a bush, stripped down, and off he went wearing nothing but his boots and a smile. Robert and Anderson Wrenquist decided they'd better follow him to make sure he really did go all the way down to the village instead of just hiding in the woods at the edge of the grounds for a while and then coming back."

"That was, without a doubt, the worst view I have ever had on any ride I've ever taken to this day." Robert said with a chuckle.

"I can imagine," Rosamund said smirking. "He was quite chubby, as I recall." Robert nodded in agreement. "Anyway," Rosamund said returning to her story, "the three of them are riding around under the assumption that it was so late that no one would be out. What none of us knew was that that night Amanda Carter had had a baby and Dr. Lennox was on his way back home after the delivery when a portly young man without any clothes on came galloping past him soon to be followed by his two laughing, inebriated friends. Dr. Lennox knew which house they were coming from. Downton was the only house in this direction for miles. Also, since it was a full moon, he was able to recognize them. Well, he went straight to the home of his cousin, the man who ran the telegraph office, and had him send an urgent message to Mama and Papa in London and they were on the first train back the next morning." Rosamund punctuated the end of her portion of the story by taking a drink.

"Oh, what a state the place was in and the servants had been up all night trying to keep it under control. They were simply overwhelmed by the hoard of drunken fools my darling children and their friends turned into under the influence of a full moon and strong spirits." Violet said shaking her head. "And imagine my surprise when, upon entering our dining room, I found my son - my quiet, dutiful, reserved, well-mannered son - passed out face down on the table, clad only in his long johns, with 'Hello, Ladies!' written across his backside." The four erupted into laughter. "You never did tell us how you came to be there in the first place." Violet said to Robert as her laughter subsided.

"I don't have the slightest recollection. I truly don't remember much after that ride."

"So your last clear memory of that evening is the rear view of a naked Percy Hawthorne on a horse?"Rosamund asked.

"That it is," Robert replied with a frown.

"Oh, you poor thing," Rosamund said shaking her head and grimacing. "Oh, Robert, I am sorry."

"I don't even remember how we got old Percy back in the house." Robert said.

"That's because you didn't," Violet said flatly. "Our first surprise upon returning to Downton was finding poor Percy - still in the nude, mind you - curled up on the doorstep asleep, face down and bottom in the air." Laughter rang through the room again. Momentarily, the Dowager Countess managed to affect her usual stern expression. "Not the most dignified welcome I've ever been treated to."

Robert chuckled. "No, I would imagine it wasn't."

Cora giggled. "What ever happened to poor Percy?" she asked Violet with an amused smile.

"He married Melissa Beaumont and got involved in politics. He's currently serving in the House of Lords." Violet sighed. "It doesn't exactly fill you with confidence in those running the empire, does it?" She took a sip from her glass.

Robert stretched and removed his arm from around Cora's waist. As his hand passed behind her, he managed to untie the bow in the black sash around her waist without her noticing. He smiled to himself as he stood and turned to Rosamund. "Is there enough champaign for one more drink."

"I think there's probably just enough, but I doubt I can manage making one for you," Rosamund said.

"Oh, that's alright," Robert said. He sensed his long awaited opportunity to get his hands on his wife was approaching. "You left the recipe over there, maybe Cora could try her hand at mixing cocktails?" He held his hand out to his wife. She slowly got to her feet and he lead her over to the table. He was careful to position her so that her back was facing away from their guests. As they figured out what the contents of the various bottles were, Robert knocked the recipe off the table. "I'll get it, dear," he said and reached down to pick up it up He retrieved the piece of paper with his left hand while his right hand found its way up the back of Cora's dress. He handed her the recipe at the same time he cupped her bottom beneath her skirts. She gasped and looked at Robert stunned and a little apprehensive.

"They'll suspect," she murmured softly. She looked nervously at Rosamund and Violet as they sat on a sofa talking amongst themselves.

"They won't think anything's out of the ordinary as long as you're quiet," he whispered. She nodded and started to mix the drink as Robert palmed her backside. Her husband's groping was making her blush, but aside from that she was sure she could handle his attentions with little effort. Just as she bent forward and reached for the gin, his fingers slipped between her legs. He was in a better position now than he had been earlier in the evening and his gentle fondling was having a much greater effect this time around. She moaned softly and gripped the table. Her hands shook as she measured out the gin. When she tried to shake the cocktail her knees buckled. She put down the shaker and tried to steady herself. Robert supported her and delighted in seeing the results of his touch reveal themselves in Cora's features. The color in her face rose. Her eyes were half closed. Her breathing was heavy and she bit her lip to stifle her whimpers. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "My God, Cora, you are exquisite. You could not be more beautiful." She closed her eyes and smiled. "I can't spend another night just dreaming about our passions. I want you. I need you, my darling, I need you." He felt her tremble as he gently kissed her neck and withdrew his hand from her under her dress as she gave a soft sigh.

"Robert," she cooed as their eyes met. He put both hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. As they kissed, his figures quickly unfastened one of the three buttons on either shoulder of her dress. His lips muffled her 'no'.

"What on earth is taking you two so long," Rosamund asked turning to look at them just after they'd pulled apart.

"We'll be there in a minute," Robert said shaking up the concoction, pouring into his glass, and topping it off with the rest of the champaign. It was an awful drink - watery and poorly measured - but that secretly intimate moment with Cora more than compensated for the ruined cocktail. He took his wife's arm and lead her back to the sofa and the conversation continued on.

After a while Rosamund turned to her mother. "Shall I ring for Carson and ask him to send for a car?"

"I believe you should," Violet said as she tried and failed to stand. "At this rate I might have ask him to carry me to it as well."

* * *

><p>AN Though the title of the chapter is _The Last Cocktail_, there will actually be two more chapters. I didn't want you to think I'd left it without a proper ending.


	5. Goodbye is Only the Beginning

The Dowager Countess may not have looked drunk, but she was. She was very drunk indeed. "Robert what do we do?" Rosamund asked her brother. "We can't just send her off home on her own like this."

Robert knew his sister was absolutely right, but he also knew that having his mother stay the night would have a definite cooling effect on his activities with Cora. "Of course we can't." he said disappointedly.

"I'll go stay with her then, " Rosamund said and laughed as her brother tried not to look too relieved. "I'll have Mrs. Hughes fetch me what I'll need for the morning." She glanced over at Cora who was standing by Violet. "It'll give you two a chance to get up to some _real_ mischief. Just don't wake the girls." She smiled as she turned to go back and assist her mother.

Robert rang for Carson and told him of the arrangements. Mrs. Hughes collected what was needed from the room Rosamund was staying in and quickly packed them up. Carson sent for a car and got the mother and daughter their coats. When the big front doors were opened and the cold air rushed into the foyer, the room seemed to move under Violet's feet and lurch suddenly to one side. Carson saw her wobbling and caught her when she started to fall. Ever the model of propriety, he apologized to The Dowager Countess profusely for his crossing the boundry between the aristocracy and those who served them. "Forgive me, My Lady, but I … "

Violet smiled. "Carson, you needn't apologize for coming to my rescue." He helped her regain her balance before she abruptly latched onto his arm. "I believe I might need more of your assistance," she said apprehensively as they slowly stepped out into the night. "Oh, when did that car get so tall?" Violet asked. Rosamund and Carson exchanged a glance. They knew this wouldn't be easy.

The shock of cold air had made Cora teeter as well, but Robert was by her side ready to hold her upright. She leaned against his chest and her arms snaked around him. He was in heaven. He loved the way she felt pressed so close to him and he adored the way it felt when she pulled him as close to her as he could get. She seemed to be trying to hide. He knew she was embarrassed - embarrassed about drinking to much, and no doubt also embarrassed about what they'd been getting up to with no one noticing. Robert rubbed her back comfortingly. Unbeknownst to her, he also managed to carefully unbutton two of the five black crystal buttons down the back of her dress - the second one from the top and the one furthest down. She wiggled in his arms. Maybe she was nestling further into his embrace, or shifting out of discomfort, or maybe she was cold - he wasn't sure why and he stopped trying to figure it out when her soft, warm lips accidentally brushed against his neck. "Cora, my darling," he whispered. He turned her so her back was to the wall. One of his hands trailed down her back and over the swell of her buttocks, the tips of his fingers lightly pressing between them and making her breath catch in her throat, while his other hand rested on her shoulder where it unfastened another button leaving only one remaining on that side. She squirmed more pronouncedly but she was trapped between her husband and the wall. Feeling her writhe against him only fueled his desire. He was about to let his fingers slip between her legs again when suddenly he jerked forward a little and groaned. "Cora!" he hissed. "Cora, stop … mmm … stop that!" She'd snuck her hand between them and begun to stroke the growing bulge in his trousers.

"You've had you hand up my dress most of the night driving me to distraction," she whispered seductively. "Turnabout is fair play, darling," she said as her delicate touches made his whole body tingle in anticipation.

"Well, please forgive my vulgarity, dearest, but your excitement is a little less conspicuous than mine," he said with a subtle nod at his tented trousers. "Besides, your the one who started this . I only put my hand on your leg. You were the first one to go feeling around under the table."

Cora was shocked at his insinuation. "I was reaching for your hand, Robert!" she snapped. "You know that."

"That wasn't what you were rubbing," he muttered. "I know it's been a while, but I hadn't expected you'd forget your way around that region so quickly." She smiled and gently grasped his manhood through his clothes. Slowly she ran her fingers up its length. "Cora, please!" Robert gasped.

"I didn't rub anything. I pulled my hand back as fast as I could. Also, I think you'll agree that I still know my way around 'that region' rather well," she mused applying a firmer touch to a particular spot. He yelped and had to let her go in order to brace himself against the wall with both hands. Cora relented when Robert removed his hand from her bottom. "Keep your hands to yourself," she pretended to scold, "remember we still have company."

"That'll do little to help me with my current predicament," he said looking down.

"I'm sure something will come to mind," she said with a teasing grin. "Now I'd like to see our guests off, please." He lowered his arms let her lead the way. As he followed close behind her, he watched her hips sway. He smiled at her untied sash and partially unbuttoned dress. He managed to think of a solution to his crisis of modesty. He reached out and gave his wife's sash a quick tug. That put her off balance and she started to fall forward. He grabbed her by her hip and her shoulder and pulled her back firmly into him, pushed bulge in his trousers hard against her bottom, and held her there. Her eyes went wide and she cried out and began to blush once more. She was standing very straight and up on her toes. Her whole body had tensed as a result of his prodding. Robert caught their reflection in the glass of the door and he knew that expression of shock on his wife's face as she carefully lowered herself down from her tiptoes would inhabit his dreams. "Robert!" she whimpered. "What do you think you're doing?" She tried to push him back and put some distance between them, but it didn't work.

"I'm doing what came to mind," he said smiling. He yanked her back against him and pressed the evidence of his arousal even harder into her buttocks for a moment. She yelped again.

"Robert, this is nearly an intimate encounter." she whispered nervously. His manhood was pushed between her buttocks and every time he moved it made her gasp, afraid he'd push deep enough to make this an actual intimate encounter. If there wasn't such a problem getting Violet into the car, their behavior would've most certainly caused quite a scene. The hand Robert had placed on Cora's shoulder unfastened a second button leaving only one remaining. His our hand reached down and rested itself on Cora's bottom. He smiled smugly as he watched the usually unflappable Carson struggle to help Violet into the car.

Carson understood that the situation he was currently in required drastic action. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. "Forgive me, My Lady," he said as he took her arm, wrapped it around his neck and placed his other hand on her hip. They stepped onto the running board together and then he was able, with Rosamund's help, to ease her down into the seat. "I apologize, My Lady," he said catching his breath.

Violet was laughing harder than anyone could remember. "Oh Carson, not bother," she said between guffaws, "I haven't had a man touch me like that in years."

"Robert," Rosamund called, "I'm not going to be able to handle her on my own. Would you mind terribly if I borrowed Carson just to help get her out of the car?"

"Not at all," Robert replied. He and Cora waved as they watched the car pull away. He let his wife go but kept his hand on her back as they went inside. As they walked, he gently unfastened the two lower buttons on the back of her dress leaving only the top one buttoned. He pulled off her sash as she walked away from him after he shut the doors and Cora turned to face her husband and was about to give him a piece of her mind for what he'd just done to her when he grabbed her around the waist and captured her in the most passionate kiss she'd been given in quite some time. "Now I have you all to myself," he said softly. He dropped her sash into a large potted fern as he pinned her to the wall in another long, deep kiss.

Cora knew that look in his eye, but it had always been confined to the bedroom. "Robert, what are you doing?" she asked as their kiss end and they started walking again. She tried to move them toward their bedroom where they could continue without the risk of someone walking in on them. Robert took her hand and tugged off her black dinner glove and tossed it over his shoulder. "Robert, no! Oh, we can't!" she insisted. "Not here!" She watched her glove slide under a chair. "Please, let's go upstairs," she pleaded.

"What for?" he asked with a grin as he removed her other glove and dropped it on the floor.


	6. Finding Their Way to Bed

He was about to kiss her again when they heard someone coming. He quickly pushed her into the the darkened drawing room. They stood together in the moonlit room just admiring each other for a moment before Robert pulled Cora close and kissed her neck. He led her over to sit on the armrest of the sofa as his kisses worked there way down to her chest. They hadn't thought they were being particularly vocal, but suddenly the door to the library opened and there was Mrs Hughes facing Robert at the other end of the room. "Oh, I'm sorry, M'Lord! I didn't realize you - the two of you - were in here," she said starting off her apology.

"We're just collecting ourselves for a moment before going up to bed," Robert said. " It's been a longer night than we'd anticipated." As the housekeeper explained Carson's instructions, Robert was having a hard time holding himself together. Cora was seated in front of him looking over her shoulder at Mrs. Hughes, but all the while her fingers were gently trailing up and down the inside of his thighs. Sometimes it was when his wife held back that she had the greatest effect on him. Every time her fingers stopped their teasing journey just short of where his body craved their touch most, he wanted her that much more. He tugged at his tie and was thankful the darkness hid his crimson blush as Cora sat in front of him appearing demure while behaving deviously. When he dismissed Mrs. Hughes, he inhaled deeply and did his best to remain calm has he felt her fingers play with the buttons in the fly of his trousers. She smiled seductively up at him as she gently pulled on one of the buttons. He knew this was her revenge for what he'd done to her in the doorway, but he had already planned out his next move. All he needed now was for Mrs. Hughes to go downstairs. As he waited, he noticed the brooch on Cora's dress and began to remove it.

Cora watched her husband's hands as he took the pin off her dress. She was puzzled when he walked a few steps in the direction of the small table near her favorite chair and tossed the brooch over at it. It was a lovely bauble - diamond and platinum - but he was afraid that the large central pointed stone would do him an injury, so it had to be retired for the evening. "Don't be rough with my things," Cora fussed as he returned and stood in front of her again.

"Nothing over there is going to harm the hardest substance on earth." They both smiled at the word 'hardest'. "And now for you," Robert said as he held Cora lightly by her upper arms.

He leaned in closer to Cora's waiting lips at an achingly slow pace. "Kiss me the way you did before The War," she whimpered as she closed her eyes. His kiss was passionate, but brief. He gently pushed her backwards so her bottom slipped off the armrest and into the sofa. When the room stopped moving, Cora found herself on her back with her knees propped up on the armrest of the sofa. Her husband stood between her knees grinning down at her. "What?" she asked. He said nothing as he lifted her dress and petticoat up and reached both his hands beneath them. She squirmed. "Darling, no! Oh! What are you doing?" she said as she pushed and slapped at his hands while they felt around for something. She felt him untie her corset and loosen the lacing enough to get his fingers underneath it. "Robert, please, No! I beg you! No!" she gasped when she figured out what he was after and felt him removing it. He smiled as he withdrew his hands. In one of them he held a length of ribbon - a drawstring - which he put in the pocket of his waistcoat. He reached under her skirts again and took hold of the lacy cuffs of her knickers. He gave a firm tug and pulled them off of her as she squealed.

There was a knock at the door. The two quickly made themselves presentable and Robert hid his wife's knickers behind his back. It was Mrs. Hughes asking if Her Ladyship was alright. "She's alright, she lost her balance is all. Don't worry, she's in good hands," he said smiling at her. "I'll take good care of her and she'll ring if she needs you." Mrs. Hughes left them alone and Robert's lips were on Cora before she knew what happened. This was the type of kiss she'd wanted - sweet and long and punctuated with affectionate words. She closed her eyes and, aided by the effects of all the drinking she'd done earlier, she let herself get completely lost in it.

She felt her husband's hands caressing her, but she didn't think too much of it. She couldn't. Her mind was clouded and her reactions were slowed. Robert was not nearly as impaired so their playful back and forth foreplay was now a very mismatched contest. His fingers wandered between her thighs again and, without her knickers getting in the way, Cora was quivering and whimpering in a matter of minutes. Robert was feeling the effects of this game, too. So much so, in fact, that he was almost ready to risk being discovered by a servant some time around dawn asleep with Cora on that sofa - his trousers around his ankles, his wife's legs wrapped around his hips, and, in all likelihood, a silly grin plastered upon his slumbering face - when she nipped gently at his ear and whispered "Take me to bed, my love." He didn't need to be told twice. He was sure to take her knickers with them as he carefully picked Cora up and carried her to the stairs.

Cora kept up the excitement as Robert started up to the bedroom. She took off his tie and let it drop over the railing and land in the branches of a potted plant. She unbuttoned his shirt and collar and let a hand skim his chest and shoulders. She put her arm around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. She kissed his jaw and neck while Robert tried not to notice the lovely view he had of her cleavage as he cradled her in his arms or the light flutter of her eyelashes against his throat for fear he'd walk into a wall. When he reached the top of the stairs, Robert kissed Cora again with an intensity that rivaled the night he told her that he loved her so many years before. His arms held her tightly as his hand tried to unbutton the last button on the back of her dress. He felt the thread break and knew he'd hear about it in the morning but he was beyond caring about those things. As his hands wandered over her back, he felt Cora's fingers unbuttoning his trousers. She wasn't being as delicate as she usually was and he couldn't figure out if that was due to intoxication or arousal. "Don't be rough with my things," he mocked. A button dropped to the floor unnoticed.

"Don't tease me," Cora said and gave him a quick slap to the bottom. Robert quickly pulled off his dress coat and laid it over the railing. They were both too busy to notice that his wife's knickers had landed in a corner, half hidden by a piece of cabinetry. He took Cora by the shoulders and, as they kissed, he unbuttoned the two remaining buttons on her dress. It dropped to the floor with a soft thump. Cora gasped and pulled away from him looking as beautifully surprised as Robert had hoped she would. He picked up the pile of flowing peach fabrics and, ignoring her complaints, threw it over the railing where it landed in a heap on the stairs. He put his arms around Cora and pulled up the back of her petticoat as he gently kissed her neck. She wriggled in his arms and fought to hold it down, her inebriation making the task near impossible. "No, please! What if someone should see?" she begged as he lifted the petticoat to her waist and he began to grope her bottom playfully.

"No one is going to see us. They're all in bed, which is exactly where you should be, you naughty girl," he said with a naughty smile. She yelped as he gave her bare bottom a firm smack that could be heard a fair distance down the corridors. Cora unbuttoned his waistcoat and Robert flung it. It landed on a lamp at the bottom of the stairs. Suddenly they were jolted from their romp by the sound of a door opening into the main hall. Cora darted behind a pillar as Robert watched the butler start turning out lights.

Carson was exhausted. He had not only been needed to help the Dowager Countess out of the car, but up the stairs as well. It had been a most undignified experience. The way he'd had to hold onto her and the way she'd fall into him every so often. He'd left her at her bedroom door where she had grabbed him and kissed him on the cheek. "My champion," she said softly, "what would Downton do without you? Now go home to that Mrs. Hughes." He'd shared the whole miserable tale with Mrs. Hughes as soon as he came back. She'd giggled throughout the whole thing up until the end when they both got very quiet. He'd finally left her to tend to his duties. He was heading for the second floor when he noticed things had been left around the stairs. A waistcoat and Her Ladyship's dinner dress? Carson looked around in abject horror as he rushed back down to the servants' hall in case any more clothes started appearing.

So Robert and Cora were alone again. They looked at each other for a moment before the broke into laughter. Cora held her arms above her head and closed her eyes. Robert took up the invitation, pinned her there and captured her lips in another knee-weakening kiss. He was loosening her corset when she reached into his open fly and let her fingertips graze him. Without another word he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips and they went straight to the bedroom.

Everything had started to run together in Cora's mind. The kisses and touches and the shedding of various articles of clothing had all become somewhat detached from their time and place. She knew she was in her room only because she felt the bed beneath her and recognized the lace on the pillowcases. Robert was on top of her in an instant. Their lovemaking was not the tender, emotional experience she'd yearned, but an abstract sea of pleasure that she and Robert were adrift in, riding wave after waves together. He was the only thing that was clear and stable as the rest of her world went fuzzy and shifted around in her head.

* * *

><p>AN I know I said this would be the last chapter, but there may be an epilogue. Just one more, I promise!


	7. Getting Things Back in Order

As the first rays of dawn's light crept through the windows of Downton Abbey, Daisy the maid stood frozen with fear. Her stare was fixed on a dark lump under a chair in the main hall. "Is there a problem, Daisy?" Mrs. Hughes asked as she came out of the library.

Daisy pointed a shaky finger at the heap in the shadows under the chair. "I think it might be a rat," she whispered nervously.

"A rat? It this house? Not while I'm housekeeper!" Mrs, Hughes said indignantly. "Now go over and get whatever it is." The girl grimaced. "Well, go on!"

She took a few tentative steps before turning back and nervously fidgeting. "Oh, but what if it is a rat?" she said.

"It isn't moving, Daisy," Mrs. Hughes pointed out.

"A dead rat then," the young maid whined.

Carson heard the fussing and came over to find out what was going on. "What's this I hear about a rat?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Mrs. Hughes took a deep breath and explained the young maid's concern to the butler. "There's something under that chair and Daisy is afraid to pick it up because she thinks it might be a rat." Daisy stood by nervously by eyeing the mass with disgust.

Carson looked over at the dark shape against the wall. "It isn't moving."

"Yes," Mrs. Hughes said. "Daisy thinks it could be a dead rat."

"Couldn't we get Thomas to get rid of it?" Daisy asked.

Carson and Mrs. Hughes exchanged an amused look and the butler barely held back a comparative statement regarding Thomas and a rat. "I'll take care of this," he said. Slowly he approached the chair before quickly pulling it away from the wall. He kicked the offending object into the middle of the floor. Daisy and Mrs. Hughes both shrieked. Carson sighed as he reached down and picked up the item that had caused all the commotion - a lady's black dinner glove. Mrs. Hughes smiled and Daisy looked sheepish. "Go and see to your duties, Daisy," he said with a chuckle. After Daisy was out of sight, he handed the glove to the housekeeper. "Her Ladyship's I'd wager," Carson said shaking his head.

"Yes," Mrs. Hughes said. "I found the other one in the middle of the floor last night." Carson groaned. "What's the matter, Mr Carson?" Mrs. Hughes asked with concern.

"I found some articles of clothing last night as well," Mrs. Hughes' eyes widened in a mixture of shock and amusement as Carson continued. "His Lordship's waistcoat was draped over the lamp on the table by the stairs, his dress coat was on the second floor railing, and," Carson cleared his throat "Her Ladyship's dinner dress was in a heap on the stairs."

Mrs. Hughes giggled in spite of herself. "Well then, that must've been quite a party! The Dowager Countess requiring help climbing the stairs to her bedroom at the Dower House and His Lordship and Her Ladyship behaving like a couple of young lovers without a care in the world? Ha, that must've been quite a party, indeed!" She smiled.

"I thought you said you spoke to His Lordship and her Ladyship last night. How could this have happened?" Carson asked.

"I did speak to them in the drawing room - twice - and I never saw any sort of impropriety taking place, but," she paused recalling the Earl and Countess' rosier cheeks and heavier breathing, "I did get the sense that I was intruding upon some urgent, private business."

Carson groaned. His brow was furrowed and he shook his head again. "This kind of behavior at Downton Abbey - and from the Lord and Lady of the house no less! It's disgraceful," he grumbled.

Mrs. Hughes touched his arm and gave him a kind smile. "Please, don't hold it against them. After all they've gone through over these last several years, they deserve a bit of romance and even a little passion after so many difficulties and so much pain." Carson's brooding expression softened slightly. "I hate to think what the morning will have in store for them, though," Mrs. Hughes said and both she and Carson shared a gentle laugh before leaving each other to their duties.

* * *

><p>Robert lay in bed and waited for Cora to wake up. It was getting late and people would start to notice if they stayed in bed too much longer. Still, he couldn't bring himself to nudge her awake. He reached over and caressed her shoulder lovingly. "Cora," he said quietly. She rolled onto her stomach, squirmed, and sighed in her sleep. As she wiggled around to get comfortable, his eyes settled on the fuller, rounded section of blankets that was covering her bottom and he smiled. Maybe he'd just decided on a better way to wake her. "Oh, Cora," he softly called again as he moved closer to her. He reached under the bed linens to carry out his version of a wake up call. He gently slipped his fingers between her legs and his expert touch made her cry out as she was jolted awake in a most intimate way. "Shhhh!" he said chuckling," Do you want the whole house to know what we're up to?" His fingers continued their ministrations unabated until Cora was mewling into her pillow and Robert watched her body shudder for a third time. "Good morning, my dearest." he said as he grinned and looked very pleased with himself.<p>

Cora rolled onto her back as she panted heavily. "Oh my heavens," she gasped once she'd found her words. "Robert! What's come over you?" she asked both bewildered and excited by he actions.

Robert chuckled. "You haven't looked that surprised since Matthew stood up from his wheelchair."

"I don't know," Cora said finally starting to catch her breath "you had quite a few surprises for me last night as well." He played with her hair as he tried to avoid her questioning look. Finally she took hold of his hand. "Robert, please tell me what this is all about."

Robert sighed and pulled her close. "I think you summarized it perfectly last night," he said.

Cora looked away from him a little ashamed. "I'm afraid you'll have to remind me. My mind was very focused on conversation."

Robert smiled and kissed her forehead. "You asked me to kiss you the way I did before The War." There was a silence between them that would never have been there in years past. Eventually Robert continued. "We didn't go to the battlefield, but we seem to have been wounded just the same. Our relationship was wounded and I don't want what we have between us to become another casualty. I wanted you to know that I still love you and desire you and that I'm sure we will be alright." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. And then another. And another. When he kissed her again it was deeper and more passionate.

As their lips parted, Cora gave Robert a coy look. "Darling," she cooed "do you think we could have one more go before we get up?"She playfully stroked his chest with her finger.

Robert was surprised. "I thought you'd be suffering the after effects of a night of Dionysian excess. Are you sure you're feeling up to it? " he asked. She grinned and nodded 'yes' as she wrapped her leg around his waist. "Well, a true gentleman never keeps his lady waiting," he said with a devilish smile. Cora giggled in anticipation as her husband rolled her onto her back.

* * *

><p>"Where is Mama?" Edith demanded as she marched up to Mary as she was leaving her bedroom. "I can't find her or Papa."<p>

Mary gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes as she walked right past her sister who trailed after her. "Well that's not my fault. It's not like I'm hiding them. Believe it or not, I am not the architect of each and every one of your daily disappointments."

Edith stalked after her elder sister as she approached the stairs. "Well, where do you think they are?" she complained.

It never took very long for Mary to tire of her younger sister's whining. She turned around and threw up her hands dramatically. "I don't know," she snipped. She looked up at the ceiling. "Mama," she called. She looked down at the carpeting. "Mama." Just then something caught her eye. She stooped and picked two small items up off the floor. "Here, Edith. Evidence." she said coolly as she held out her hand. "The black crystal one is from the dress Mama was wearing last night." She turned the other, smaller, plain, black button over in her hand. "I don't know whose this is, but I'll give it to Carson when I see him. I'm sure one of the servants will know."

The two girls heard a commotion in the main hall. It was Isobel and she was demanding to see Cora at once. Something about refugees and "the moral charge to assist those in need." Edith and Mary looked at each other and smiled. Watching Mama and Isobel argue was some of the best entertainment at Downton and they hurried downstairs to go and say their hellos so they wouldn't miss the eventual fireworks. Mary was secretly pleased to see Matthew had accompanied his mother. "Good Morning, Cousin Isobel, Cousin Matthew," Mary said with her eyes set only on the handsome young Matthew Crawley. "What a lovely surprise. We hadn't been expecting you until dinner." Edith tried to say hello to him as well, but he didn't notice.

Matthew smiled at Mary. "Well it seems my mother has an urgent need to speak to Cousin Cora, but hasn't managed to find her." He leaned in close and lowered his voice, "It seems she's on another of her crusades to alter life at Downton and Cousin Cora is about to all about it. In detail, I'm sure."

"Don't worry," Mary said with a smile, "Mama is stronger than she appears."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Matthew said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black silk sash, "I saw this in the pot of that fern over there and I thought that perhaps you might be missing it." He gently handed it to her and they smiled as their eyes met.

Mary shook her head. "That was ever so sweet of you, Matthew, but it isn't mine, it's Mama's."

"Perhaps I should hang onto it then and have my mother return it to her as a sort of peace offering." Matthew said with a teasing smile. "Poor Cousin Cora will get no rest with Mother like this."

"Mama gets nothing but rest most of the time," Mary said, "and besides, you have to admit they are entertaining to watch." The two laughed. As Matthew was letting Edith in on the joke, Mary noticed Carson speaking to O'Brien by the door leading downstairs. She excused herself from the group and went over to the two servants. "I found these upstairs, and Cousin Matthew just discovered this in that fern by the door," she said handing the buttons and sash to O'Brien. "I know the crystal button is from one of Mama's dinner gowns, but I'm not sure about the other one. I figured one of you would know what it belongs to."

The ladies maid looked at the buttons. "I'll see to Her Ladyship's dress straight away, but I'm afraid I've no idea what the other one goes to." That was a lie. She seen buttons like that one in Her Ladyship's bedroom plenty of times attached to the garments they went on, but she felt strangely awkward about telling Lady Mary what these garments were. "Maybe Mr. Carson will recognize it?" she said and handed the button to him.

Carson reddened and, despite all of his training and discipline, his words got away from him. "That's a button to His Lordship's trousers," he said with barely supressed shock.

"Well," Mary said with raised eyebrows, "he'll certainly be needing that then." She gave a slight smirk as she turned back to her sister and their guests. O'Brien had to cough back a smile.

"Oh, Carson," Isobel called, "I need to speak to Cousin Cora regarding a matter of some importance. Might you be able to tell me where I might find her." Isobel said with a notable edge of irritation in her voice. Try as she might, she could never view Cora's afternoons spent laying around reading or doing needlework as anything other than the laziness that came with feeling as if the world revolved around her and her daughters.

"She hasn't rung for her maid yet today, so I assume that her Ladyship is still in bed." Carson answered.

Isobel's jaw tensed at the thought of Cora sleeping into the middle of the day. "Thank you, Carson," she said as she pushed past everyone and headed for the stairs.

Carson and the others chased after her. "Mrs. Crawley, please," Carson said insistently, "if you will wait in the drawing room, I'll send O'Brien up to wake Her Ladyship at once and she will be down to see you shortly. With all due respect, Ma'am, I can not allow you to march up to her bedroom like this."

"And why not," Isobel snipped.

"Because it just isn't the way things are done here." Carson said calmly.

"Well, Carson, that's part of the reason I'm here, actually." Isobel said, every word strengthening her resolve. "Things will be changing at Downton. I plan on making certain of it." She caught a glimpse of something white in the branches of a potted plant at the base of the stairs. "Here, Carson, take care of this, please. I'll deal with Cousin Cora myself."

Everyone stared at the white bow tie in Carson's hand. "Is that Papa's?" Edith asked.

"My god, we're finding bits of them everywhere. It makes one wonder what they were doing last night." Mary said as Matthew and Edith held back laughter. They followed Carson as he hurried after Isobel who was absolutely set on pulling the lady of the house, who she saw as spoiled and a tad self-absorbed, right out of her stately bed and hoped the incident would embarrass her into a grater sense of civic involvement.

Matthew noticed something in the corner by a cabinet and broke away from the group to investigate. He retrieved the object and caught up with the rest of them as they approached Cora's bedroom door. Carson was once again making his plea for Isobel to go downstairs to wait in the drawing room for Cora to meet her there. "Do these belong to either of you?" he whispered to Mary and Edith as he held out his find.

"Where did you get those?" Edith gasped. She gave her sister a look. "Are they your knickers, Mary?"

"Absolutely not! They're too big and far too frumpy. I assumed they were yours." Mary retorted icily. "Where did you find them, Matthew?"

He pointed to the corner. "Over there near that cabinet. I didn't mean to get you both upset. I just thought they seemed of too high a quality to be servant's things, and I thought you wouldn't want them lying in the hallway, so I figured I'd return them. You're both saying they aren't yours, so…"

As the group stopped outside Cora's bedroom door, Mary's eyes widened and she gasped as the whole thing came together in her mind so clearly. She pulled Matthew and Edith close and whispered, "If they aren't your knickers, Edith, and they aren't mine, and they can't be any of the servants', then whose must they be?" The three blanched as they watched Isobel dismiss Carson's call for decorum once more.

"Carson, I will be doing Cousin Cora a favor. It's long past time she had some real activity taking up her day - something to do." As Isobel's hand reached for the doorknob they heard Cora giggling.

"You don't think ... " Edith said horrified.

"Dear God, I hope not," Mary replied looking slightly repulsed.

The five froze when they heard Robert's voice in the bedroom as well. "Come here, my saucy, little minx," he said and then Cora squealed in delight a second later.

"Ugh!" Edith groaned as she winced.

"I feel ill," Mary grumbled. Carson stood silently turning redder and Matthew coughed.

Isobel turned from the door and straightened her posture. "Apparently, Cousin Cora's days are more active than I had first assumed. I will talk to her about my ideas for Downton Abbey when we come for dinner." With that she turned and went back down the stairs like nothing ever happened.

Mary took a deep breath and looked at her sister. "Come on, we should invite her to luncheon. I dare say Mama and Papa won't be making an appearance."

"I don't think I could face them if they did," Edith said and she and her sister started off to catch up to Isobel.

Mary turned back to Matthew. "You're invited too, of course. If you feel up to eating, that is."

He laughed. "It might be easier to manage if we suffer through it together. It'll be good practice for dinner," he said. Then he remembered the knickers he was holding. He bunched them up and stuffed them into Carson's hands. "I found these by a cabinet," he stammered and then rushed off after his mother, Mary, and Edith.

Carson held up the article of clothing he'd just been given and was appalled. He only became more uncomfortable when he noticed that the ribbon trimming matched some ribbon he'd found in the pocket of His Lordship's waistcoat and that the knickers seemed to be missing their drawstring. Then the butler heard noises from the bedroom he was standing outside of - Cora crying out and Robert calling her name. "Good gracious!" he said and made his way downstairs as quickly as he could.

* * *

><p>When Cora and Robert walked into the drawing room for the usual pre-dinner socializing, the stares they got were hard to ignore. Cora became self conscious and fidgeted until Robert squeezed her hand reassuringly. She smiled sweetly back at him. Across the room Mary caught Matthew's eye, gestured in her parent's direction, and made a face. He be barely held back a laugh. A few minutes later Carson entered the room to announce the last of the evening's guests. "The Dowager Countess and Lady Rosamund Painswick." Rosamund flitted into the room with her usual style. Violet, meanwhile, looked tired and a little pale.<p>

Isobel eyed the Dowager Countess with concern. "Are you quite well?" she asked Violet.

"I'll be fine," Violet said. "I'm just getting over a bit of a virus." Isobel began to pepper Violet with questions about the 'virus' she claimed to have contracted as Rosamund, Robert, and Cora smiled knowing. Violet was doing her best to try to change the subject but Isobel continued stubbornly. "It was just a strange sort of one day flu."

"What kind flu?" Isobel questioned the increasingly exasperated Dowager Countess.

Finally, she could take no more of Isobel's enquiring. "The Gin Flu," she growled.

As Violet explained her hangover, Robert watched Cora as she walked across the room. He studied the sway of her hips and pondered whether it was unseemly for him to be so anxious to get his hands on his wife after they'd spent the whole of the afternoon tumbling around in bed together like young lovers instead of a married couple who had been married for decades. He was so preoccupied by thoughts of Cora and passionate lovemaking that he'd forgotten to keep his ogling of his wife's posterior discreet. Everyone noticed what his attention was fixed on and the sly grin curling his lips. Matthew joined Mary in the corner of the room. They watched as Cora, obviously feeling the heat of her husband's gaze, looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile. "This is unbelievably uncomfortable," Matthew whispered.

Mary gave a sigh. "How do you think it is for Edith and me? Somehow you never think of your parents as creatures of passion. You're quite happy to go through life thinking they really did find you in a cabbage patch or receive you in a bundle from the stork." Matthew and Mary chuckled as Edith looked over at them miserably.

Cora had noticed the way her daughters and Cousin Matthew had been looking at her with thinly veiled embarrassment and she couldn't figure out why. She had also become aware of the way her husband was staring at her every time she turned her back. Her surreptitious fidgeting with her skirts had made her confident that they weren't caught up in her corset laces. Perhaps the back of her dress had torn when Robert had accidentally backed her up hard against the corner of the dresser in her bedroom just before they came downstairs. She was still a little sore, both from their literal run in with that piece of furniture and from all of their escapades of that afternoon, and the later part of the morning, and the night before. She would most likely have bemoaned the impropriety of their night and day spent in lusty excess - especially given their age - if she weren't so pleased with herself. As she approached her favorite chair, she took a long look at her husband. Even after all of their years together she still found him deliciously attractive and he could still set her blood on fire. She wondered if another round before bed would be asking to much of him. As she sat down, she wondered what he might have in mind for her when she suddenly felt something sharp poke her in the bottom. She yipped and jumped to her feet She hoped that the prod to her backside hadn't been a sign from the cosmos. Robert rushed to her side and he couldn't hold back his smile when he looked down and saw her diamond brooch on the seat of her chair. "I guess it didn't land on the table after all," he said.

Carson came in to announce that dinner was served and everyone began to leave the room. Cora moved to follow them when Robert grabbed her by the wrist. "Carson, we'll be along in a minute." he said. The butler nodded and left the room. Robert smiled down at his wife. He picked up the brooch and carefully pinned it to her dress. "We've had quite a day," he said teasingly as he held her hands in his.

"A happy day," she said with a smile as she inched closer to him.

"I wish it weren't nearly at an end," he said gently and hoped she would understand the request hidden in his statement. He wanted more, but he didn't want to pressure her. She was still only newly recovered from her bout with Spanish Flu after all. she deserved to be treated with extra care.

She smiled brightly. "It doesn't have to end, darling. In fact, I had hoped you might want to continue it after dinner," she said in a seductive tone.

He said nothing but pulled her closer for a chaste, proper kiss that a husband would give his wife at dinner. He gave her a second and a third and was about to go for a forth when Carson entered the room to remind them that everyone was in the dining room and awaiting their return. Robert and Cora walked together to dinner where they knew they would be stared at and whispered about.

They didn't care.

* * *

><p>AN Yes, The epilogue rivals the length of the story itself, I know. Sorry.

I wanted to thank krisnreine for accepting my challenge and writing and excellent story - Better Served Cold - for her part of it.

Update_ - I've gotten a couple reviews that are disappointed to see this story end. Well, since the whole idea of it was born out of a response to a review, it should be no surprise that they're starting to spark ideas. No promises, of course, but a few ideas. We'll see. Maybe something will come of them._


	8. Just One More

A/N - This chapter can be credited/blamed on Alkd and the others who wanted 'just one more' chapter. Honestly, I hadn't liked the way it had ended either, so the requests for more got me thinking. This really is the end - I'm pleased with it now - and I hope you enjoy this bonus chapter.

* * *

><p>"That's it. You've worn me out. No more." Robert gasped as he collapsed on top of his wife exhausted. She cupped his face and kissed his lips. Robert pretended that he hadn't felt her gently nip at his lower lip. Their day spent in the throws of passion was over as far as Robert was concerned. He was tired and ready to drift off to sleep holding the woman he loved. "Aren't we supposed to be too old for this?" he asked as he struggled to catch his breath. Cora was breathing heavier too, but she still managed a suggestive giggle as she slid over close to him. She smiled flirtatiously and he shook his head. "No more! I'll probably have difficulty walking tomorrow as it is."<p>

Cora cuddled close and wrapped her arms around him. "Considering the way it's done, shouldn't I be the one concerned about being able to walk properly after our hours spend in, how did you put it this morning, "Dionysian excess"? She giggled again and pressed her body close to his wiggling her hips against him. She pulled the covers up for warmth, but made sure he could get a good look at her breasts if he wanted one. He did take a peek despite his fatigue and he still managed to grin teasingly.

"I was referring to my complete lack of strength," he clarified. "Listen to you talk! Why, my little minx, you're absolutely wicked," he teased as he stroked her hair. As she snuggled into him, his felt her thigh rub against his groin. His surprised look met his wife's tempting smile. She moved her thigh again and he gave a soft whimper. He couldn't believe it. Her scandalous talk. Her tone of voice. That devious sparkle in her eyes. The way her fingers caressed his lower back. Her kiss. The way she moved her hips and thigh. It all pointed to one conclusion, but it just couldn't be. "You can't possibly want more. Not after the day we had. We spent more time nude than dressed!" He didn't know how she could have the energy to make love again.

She sighed disappointedly and rolled over so her back was to him. "I was just playing," she lied, "We should really get some sleep." He could sense she wanted more affection, but he didn't think he could muster one more go.

He pressed close to her from behind and put his arm around her waist. "Cora, it isn't anything to do with you. A man just has limits, physical limits, and I believe I've reached mine." He leaned in to kiss her cheek and neck. "That doesn't mean we have to go to sleep. I miss the way we used to hold each other and talk." As he applied a few more kisses to her neck he was unintentionally pushing his hips against her bottom. He was surprised when he felt the first twinges of arousal, but he didn't make mention of it. It was too early to make any promises yet, especially considering how they'd spent their day. "You were amazing today," he said as he held her. "I can't remember the last time we spent a day in bed together."

"I wish we could spend more of our days like that, but I know we would be the talk of polite society in no time." She mused and squirmed. Her bottom moved against his groin and he took a deep breath. "With all the activity in the house lately, it's a wonder we weren't found out as it is," she said.

"I'm not entirely certain that we weren't." Robert said. "There was some rather odd behavior at dinner this evening with you and I as its focus."

"You noticed it, too?" Cora asked. "I've been trying to figure out what was so funny. The girls and Matthew couldn't stop laughing. You mentioned your sore back and they were snickered like school children. And poor Carson looked awfully flushed all evening. I hope he's taking proper care of himself. Anyway, there was something else that got the the girls and Matthew going? I can't really recall what it was though," Cora said.

"When you asked Cousin Isobel if she had an exciting afternoon doing her work with the refugees and Isobel said 'Not as exciting as yours. Mary and Edith were giggling like mad and poor Matthew nearly choked on a carrot. I had thought she was just deriding about your easy lifestyle again, but now I wonder if there wasn't more to it." Robert could see the pieces coming together. Somehow, they knew. At this though came to him Robert felt his body beginning to react to having Cora naked and pressed so close to him. He thought about moving to put a little bit of distance between them, but then decided against it. She always looked so lovely when she was surprised.

Robert could feel Cora's body tensing as she began to see the pattern he was outlining. "But how could they know? Do you think the servants talked?" Cora moved around uncomfortably as she thought of everyone knowing that she and her husband still made love. They were old enough now for that type of thing to be viewed as unseemly. Robert became more aroused by Cora fidgeting. She started to feel something against her bottom. "Robert, what's behind me?" she asked as she tried to get into a more comfortable position. "There's something hard prodding me. Could you move it? After this little revelation that the entire household knows about our private business, I think we really should go to sleep before we give them any more to talk about." Without another word Cora turned out her light and settled down for sleep.

Robert thought fast. "It was just the bottle of lotion you had earlier," he lied as he got out of bed, "I'll put it back for you." Robert didn't know what to do. He had spent their whole conversation readying himself for just one more round, and now Cora seemed to lost all interest in the idea. He looked at her lying there and now all he wanted was have her wrapped around him and crying his name one more time that night. He picked up a bottle of lotion and put some in his hands disappointedly. Taking care of this himself would be a poor substitute for tumbling around in bed in the arms of his beautiful wife. He heard Cora sigh. She was asleep already. He lotioned himself and was about to take this matter into his own hands when he thought about that morning and the way he'd woken her so enjoyably. He hurried back to the bed. Cora had rolled onto her stomach. He gently lay over her and slipped one hand under her hips as he pressed against her from behind. He hadn't thought about how all that lotion would change how his body would behave when pressed against her. Laws of motion, and friction, and so on were the last thing on his mind. Physics had never been his strongest subject anyway. He kissed her neck as his fingers found their mark and she wriggled beneath him.

Cora's eyes opened wide and moaned. She gripped the pillow tightly as she awoke to her husband's fondling. "Please, darling, no," she pleaded as his fingers continued teasing her. He shifted position a little and suddenly the gentle and well placed strokes of his expert fingers weren't her biggest concern. She could feel that part of her husband's anatomy that he had convinced her would not be operational any more that evening was very much functioning - so much so that it had slipped, with the aid of some lotion, between her buttocks and was pressing against an area of her body that had been deemed 'off limits' since one night early on in their marriage. "A bottle of lotion indeed," she snipped. His fingers' skilled attention make her jerk back suddenly and she unintentionally push herself against Robert's manhood and she cried out. "No, Robert, no! Not there! Please! You promised!" she whimpered as he prodded deeper. After combining another flick of a finger to just the right place to make her move backward involuntarily and rocking his hips against her bottom, Robert got off of her before he did something that would've gotten him kicked out of the bedroom for days as it had so many years before as she screamed begged him to stop once again. Cora rolled quickly onto her back and laid there looking up at him. "What happened to all your talk of exhaustion, and physical limits, and worries about not being able to walk properly?" Cora asked breathlessly as Robert hovered over her. Even though she had not appreciated being prodded from the rear like that, he had gotten her quite excited and she was starting not to care what anyone thought of how she spent her time with her husband. A sly smile curled the corners of her mouth. Maybe they could manage just once more before going to sleep.

"It seems I can't resist you, Cora," Robert said with a smile, "and you have to admit there is something wonderfully sinful about the possibility of people knowing." He's smile dimmed momentarily. "I'm sorry about getting a bit overzealous with you. I remember my promise."

Cora gave him a look. "It certainly brought new meaning to the phrase 'rude awakening'. What will they all say if you have trouble walking and I'm too sore to sit in a chair?"

Robert smiled as he leaned over her and grabbed her hips. "You can sit on my lap," he offered.

"I don't think that will improve the situation," she teased. "You'll just have to make it up to me somehow."

He was only inches away from her and she so clearly desired him. That fact made him feel better than he had in ages. "I think I can handle that. Just once more." He said playfully before finally capturing her lips in a kiss. Her legs parted and wrapped around his hips as he entered her. One of his hands slid over her sides and cup her breast. His lips were concentrating at the base of her throat and there would be a mark there for her to explain away when she met Isobel for luncheon. As they got closer to the zenith of their escapades, Cora scratched her nails down Roberts back and left red marks in their wake. There would no doubt be an awkward exchange between Robert and Carson when he got dressed the next morning. They didn't care. They cried out together as they reached bliss together.

* * *

><p>Daisy rushed into the servants' hall. "What's the matter Daisy," Mrs. Hughes asked, "you look as if you've seen a ghost."<p>

"I think something's wrong with His Lordship and Her Ladyship," Daisy said nervously.

Carson stood and went to Mrs. Hughes' side as the whole room went quiet. "Go on, Daisy," he said gently but with great concern.

"I was going around the upstairs checking the fireplaces and I was down the hall from Her Ladyship's bedroom when I heard them yelling," the young maid said.

"Yelling?" Mrs. Hughes asked. The rest of the staff began to look at each other. They all had the same thought, but no one dared give it voice.

"Yes and then they were moaning," Daisy said. A few stifled giggles could be heard as the servants all began to grin knowingly. "And then the moaning got louder and louder and then I came down her to tell you, Mrs. Hughes." Daisy said confused by all the giggling and smiles on everyone, but Carson's face.

Mrs. Hughes took a deep breath. "I think His Lordship and Her Ladyship are quite well, Daisy. They'll ring if they need anything. Now go upstairs and finish your duties," the housekeeper said. Daisy did as she was told, but still didn't know what was so funny.

"Those two are like rabbits," Thomas muttered.

"Thomas!" Carson rumbled. "Have some decency."

"Somebody should tell those two upstairs that before they scorch the sheets." Thomas said as he went outside for a cigarette. Carson followed behind to give him the lecture his insolence had earned him.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Robert" Cora gasped drowsily as she lay in her husband's arms waiting for sleep. "Oh, Robert, you were wonderful." She kissed him sweetly.<p>

"You're always wonderful," he said. He sighed and smiled to himself. He was quite pleased with his performance that day and this last go had been a particularly good one.

"Robert, we still have one thing to do," Cora said.

"I thought that was 'off limits'?" Robert teased as he gave her bottom a squeeze.

"Oh!" Cora yipped as she wriggled and tried to escape his grabbing hand. "That _is_ 'off limits'. That wasn't what I meant." She swatted his chest playfully before nestling down close beside him. "I meant that we never told Rosamund whether or not we'd have cocktails at the servants' ball."

Robert looked his wife dumbstruck. "I had assumed that the events of the last twenty-four hours were proof enough that the French 75 and Downton Abbey are not a good mix."

Cora smiled up at him. "I don't know about that. Obviously we shouldn't serve them in the quantities in which we enjoyed them, and we probably shouldn't serve them to everyone, but maybe…" she paused and looked up at him with a playful smile, "just for the two of us. After we go up to bed."

Robert grinned. "You saucy, little minx," he said as he kissed her tenderly and stroked her back until she'd drifted off to sleep. As he waited to be claimed by slumber as well, he reflected on all the time that had elapsed since the last night they had been curled up together in the afterglow of a passion that wasn't clouded by a strange sense of distance or the lingering sting of an argument. They'd been given a lot of chances to fix things - after the miscarriage, after the war, after Jane. As he watched Cora battling the Spanish Flu, he had begged over and over in his mind for just one more chance. As she sighed contentedly in his arms, he vowed not to waste it.


End file.
